Is Javier Vazquez willing to put off retirement? Marlins will find out

In the days before he left Sun Life Stadium for Puerto Rico late last month, Marlins pitcher Javier Vazquez continued to strongly hint that he had thrown his last pitch.

Could Vazquez be having second thoughts on retirement? The Marlins will find out this week.

The Marlins have until 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday to exclusively negotiate with their free agents, and they plan to do so with Vazquez.

But it will take more than the $7 million they gave Vazquez in 2011, when he got off to a horrible start before finishing strong as one of baseball’s best pitchers in the second half.

Vazquez,35, was named NL pitcher of the month after going 5-0 with a 0.71 ERA in September. He finished 13-11 with a 3.69 ERA, with 10 of the wins coming after the All-Star break.

Although Vazquez said he wants to spend more time with his family in Puerto Rico, returning to the Marlins could be his most desirable destination. According to people close to Vazquez, playing for a team with a legitimate chance to contend might be enough to prompt him to reconsider his retirement plans.

The Marlins have sent signals that they will field a contender when they open their new ballpark in April. A guess here is that the Marlins might persuade him to come back for about $10 million. And if Vazquez can pitch next year like he did down the stretch this year, that will be money well spent.

Of course, Vazquez could also say no, call it a career and relax with his family. He said he’d make a final decision by December.

Here’s what he said last month:

“Obviously I would like to go out throwing well but the way I’m pitching right now is not changing what I have been thinking for the last couple of years,” he said.

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[…] season but struck out just 5.38 batters per nine innings. -The Miami Marlins are trying to talk Javier Vazquez from retiring, but would have to give him more than $7 million next season, according to the Palm Beach Post. The […]